A group of protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza were arrested while mounting a protest outside the Burbank office of Democratic congressman and U.S. Senate Candidate Adam Schiff, an advocacy group said in a news release.
IfNotNow Los Angeles, which describes itself a group of American Jews known for holding similar protests calling for a ceasefire in past months, says several members were arrested while staging a sit-in at Schiff’s office.
The group said the sit-in was staged after several requests to speak with Schiff weren’t returned. IfNotNow said the protest was entirely non-violent.
Protesters held a giant check reading “PAY TO THE ORDER OF CONGRESSMAN SCHIFF: $230,695 FOR THE 2024 PRIMARY ELECTION CYCLE, FROM AIPAC.”
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, endorsed Schiff for California’s open U.S. Senate seat in March.
“We gathered today to demand that Adam Schiff call for a ceasefire, that he reject donations from AIPAC, and that no more US money go toward enabling massacres. As American Jews, we hold that human life is sacred, and demand that the killing stops immediately,” said IfNotNow volunteer Leo Shaffer.
IfNotNow said the group was forcibly removed from the office.
Schiff has faced a string of protests in opposition to his pro-Israel viewpoints. His Super Tuesday victory speech was disrupted after protestors dominated the crowd with strong “ceasefire now” chants, causing Schiff to take a lengthy pause at the podium.
Israel’s war against Hamas following the October 7 massacre of Israeli civilians has resulted in the deaths of more than 30,000 Palestinians, including more than 10,000 children according to the Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry.